Alexander j



A. J. BERGEN. Breech-loading Fire-arm.

Patented Feb. 26, 1867.

mvsnom 7 ILPFFERS PNOTO-LITHOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON, D C.

IMPROVEMENT IN nnsscmoanme mesons.

tire sttetnle north: to in these hitters 33mm, amt making part at the same.

'ro ALE. ween tr MAY ooncsnm Be it known that I, ALEXANDER J. BERGEN, of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings, and State of New York, have invented, made, and applied to use, a certain new-cud useful Improvement'in Fire-Arms; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the said invention, reference being had to the.

annexed drawing, making part of'this specification, wherin- Figure l'is'a section through the centre of the barrels, the hammer and part of the stock being shown in elevation.

Figure 2 is a section through 'cne of the barrels and part of its breech-block.

Figure 3 is an inverted plan of-the barrels detached, and

Figure 4 is a rear view of the barrels.

Similar marks of reference denote the same parts.

Breech-loading fire-arms have heretofore been constructed in which the barrel has had a. slight endwise movement, and the muzzle dropped to throw up the breech for the reception of the cartridge. My invention relates to this general character of fire-arm,'and consists in' an eccentric operated upon by a lever for throwing the barrel forward or backward in combination with a sliding bearing-block that takes against the eccentric on one side, and against a hook-block on the other, projcctingfrom the under side of the barrel, so that the movement of the eccentric in forcing the barrel back or forward may be allowed for, and at the same time the surfaces in contact that take the force of the explosion are large, so as to prevent injury or looseness from one surface being pressed into the other. My improvement is primarily and especially adapted to fowling-picces with two barrels, and I have so'shown the same; but it may be employed with siugle-harrelinuskets or other firearms- In the drawing, :1 represents a portion of the stock; 5 the hammers, one to each barrel; 0 c the triggers;

these parts may be of any usual character. of darc'the barrels, which may beeither rified or plain. The

cartridges employed are thoscformcd with a metallic case having a flange around its base entering a recess at the rear end of the barrel. The rear end of the cartridge is sligntlylconv ex, setting within a dishing recoilshield, c, and in the centre is a projecting teat entering a cavity in 2, below the exploding pnnchf, fig: 2, which is kept up by a. spring when not acted upon by the hammer. The cartridge I employ forms no part of the present invention or patent. The barrels d d are formed together in thcsame manner as those of any ordinary fowling guns; and g is a hook-on the under side of the barrels, entering a corresponding recess in the metallic strap k that extends l'orward from the recoil-shield e, and below the barrels. At the end ofthis strap It is an eccentric It, on ana-xis 2', operated upon by a lever, 9, that is at one side of the strap, and shownby red lines in fig. 1. At the forward end of the hooked block g,'a dove-tailed or'undercut groove is formed, receivinga corresponding rib 2 on the eccentric-bearing blockl, and m is. aoap-picce covering the end of said groove,'but the rib 2, being shorter than the groove, said block I can slide at right angles to the barrel, and in contact with the front surface of the block g. and at the same time the concave side of said block] corresponds with the eccentric. The metallic strapp, and its wooden finishing-stock, are attached to the under side of the barrels, and when the barrel-J's closed to place, said portion comes against the forward end of the strap It. When the lever q is pressed down= ward and forward, tlfeccceutric k is turned, which slides the block ldownward, and. the eccentric, acting at the same time against the rear end of the part p, slides the barrel forward, nnhooking thehook 9, so that the barrels can drop down at the forward end and the rear end be raised for the insertion or withdrawal of the cartridge, as seen in the section, fig. 5. The reverse movement of the lever g closes the breech after the barrels have been trirned down to place, and when the explosion takes place, the extent of surface in contact, the eccentric on one side of the block 2, and the block 9 on the other side, prevent injury to those surfaces bythe force of the' recoil. 11-. order to withdraw the. cartridge-case or cases from the gun, I employ the slide 1, terminating as a head 2" between the twobarrels, (see fig. 4,) and this slider is acted upon by a toe a projecting from a slot in the middle of the eccentric, and hinged thereto so that it may swing and only be operative when the breech is fully opened and the lever g is near the end of its movement. By drawing the lever q slightly back, the toe s will be released, so that the withdrawcr r can be forced back to its place by the insertion of the cartridge. The recoil shield may projectslightly, as shown, so as to enter the rear of the barrel, or be recessed for the reception of a projection around the rear of the barrel, as desired.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is The block I, in combination with the eccentric k, and hooked block 1, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

Dated October 11. A. D. 1866.

A. J. BERGEN. Witnesses Cans. H. sMITIi, Geo. 10- Woman. 

